The Objectives of eMinistry

Over the past few days, the Holy Spirit has been speaking to me in ‘list’.  Everything that I am hearing is in 1 – 2 -3 order.

So here’s the latest:  What are the Goals/Objectives of eMinistry?

I prefer to use the term Objectives because we are in a War; against the spirits and principalities of darkness in the CyberWorld. (This last statement is a book in itself)

The overall objectives of any eMinistry should not be that different from the goals of any Church.  At the core of any Ministry is Evangelism.  So why should online Ministries be any different?

Objective #1 – Spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ

Objective #2 – Lead the unsaved to Jesus Christ

Objective #3 – Help the Saved move from a level of Salvation to Sanctification and teach them how to maintain their Sanctification.

Objective #4 – Increase Knowledge of the Bible

Objective #5 – Provide a place of Refuge, Healing, and Deliverance

Objective #6 – Build a strong sense of Community with the Body of Christ

These are not the only Objectives but encompass the core of any eMinistry Strategy.

eMinistry: A Short Definition

Today, we live in a society full of acronyms and labels. Everything has a term or definition that uniquely describes and distinguishes itself from the next thing. With the expansion of the Internet and Web 2.0, a lot of non-technical terms have re-invented themselves in Cyberspace. The latest term that I have personally embraced is ‘eMinistry’.

What is eMinistry?

eMinistry, in my own terms is ‘the use of the Internet and other Electronic Media as an Evangelistic and Ministry tool with the sole purpose of interactively communicating the Gospel of Jesus Christ and expanding the Kingdom of God globally’.

According to Rev. Dr. W. Davies, ACS Technologies, ‘note in the definition of eMinistry’, the focus isn’t simply on the tools but on meeting the wide-ranging needs of the people. Too often, churches focus on the “E” that is “Electronics,” rather than on the “Ministry”.

I stand in total agreement with this definition.

When creating Web and Media Strategies for our Ministries, we must not lose sight of the fact that our main purpose is to Minister to the people and create RELATIONSHIPS. The tools are just the vehicle to reach the people. We must learn how to effectively incorporate both the tools of eMinistry and the work of the Ministry into a single entity that will go forth in the Power and Authority of the Holy Spirit and accomplish the purpose of winning Souls for the Kingdom of God and expanding the Kingdom of God globally.

The thing to remember is that eMinistry is not limited to the Internet. eMinistry involves all forms of Electronic Media that includes computers, cell phones, MP3 players, and other devices. As the church embraces the idea that these products can be used to send and receive the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, more souls will be won for the Kingdom of God.

Relationships are the Core of eMinistry

eMinistry for most Ministries, is a Church Website with some flash elements that contains Ministry information, Prayer Request, an Events Calendar, etc. and allows access to audio and video sermon archives. These items are great and I commend you if you ministry is involved with the use of of these items. But that is where eMinistry ends for at least 95% of all Ministries functioning in this Age of Information. The other 5% of eMinistries are ususally involved with some type of Social Networking such as MySpace, FaceBook, MyChurch in an attempt to build virtual communities.

Ministry is about Relationships. Our walk with Jesus Christ is ALL about our Relationship with him.

So the question I ask is this, ‘What have we as eMinisters done to foster online Relationships with not just our Christian Brothers & Sisters but more importantly non-Believers that do not know Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour?’

Jesus said in Matthew 19:10, ‘For the Son of Man came to find and restore the lost’. That is one of the main reasons that we are in Ministry: to let the lost/unsaved know about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It takes relationships with people to Minister to them.

As we continue to Minister on the Internet, we can save souls by becoming eMinisters that build relationships that will allow us to speak a word of Salvation to those looking for Jesus Christ online. Once they receive salvation, we need to continue to build our relationship with the newly saved to build the community and Kingdom of God.

When we use Internet Tools tools, the focus can be the Christian community because Christians continually need to grow and receive a Word from the Lord. But our main focus in these areas are to build relationships with the non-believer. Some of you may ask how do we accomplish this on secular sites?

Remember, everyone at some point in time needs someone to talk to, ask questions about God, or advice. You would be surprised at the number of people looking for God online. We need to provide a place of Refuge, Healing and Deliverance in these social networking territories. And how do we do that, by remembering that Ministry is about Relationships.